by Jennifer Maiser, Editor
President-Elect Obama yesterday announced his choice for Secretary of Agriculture: Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack. The sustainable food community is incredibly invested in the choice for Secretary of Agriculture, and you have probably seen various petitions going around the Internet asking for Mr. Obama to make a Secretary of Agriculture choice taking a sustainable food system into consideration.
My inbox was full yesterday with people who were irate about the choice for Secretary of Agriculture, and wondering what to do next. Mr. Vilsack is known for his support of ethanol production and genetically engineered crops -- both issues which the sustainable food community opposes.
While it's frustrating to not see fast movement to save our food system with the new administration, I am encouraged by what I've been seeing. Since election day, I have never seen such a focused attempt by the sustainable food community to strategize what the nation needs, and how to achieve our goals. Expect to hear a lot more from the food community in the coming months.
I tend to not talk partisan politics here -- I feel that the choice to eat locally crosses party lines, and have seen proof of that theory. But the choices being made at the top really do affect the power that the sustainable food movement has as a whole.
If you're interested in reading some really cogent responses to the Vilsack appointment, check out the following links:
Change we can Eat: an Immodest Proposal for Obama's Food Policy (Christopher Cook / Civil Eats)
Michael Pollan on Vilsack, Agriculture -- And Food (NPR)
AgSuck: Looks like Tom Vilsact to head USDA (Bonnie Powell / Ethicurean)
